Supporters express displeasure with Lions

The national football team, the Indomitable Lions and a delegation of over 200 that went to Brazil with the team for the World Cup unceremoniously sneaked into the country on Wednesday morning, June 25, at about 6 a.m. Only 11 out of the 23 players who went to Brazil were on board the flight that was chartered from an Angolan airliner.

The players who returned in the airliner included team captain, Samuel Eto’o Fils, Enow Eyong, Feudjou, Djeugoue, Moukandjo, Nicolas Nkoulou, Jean II Makoun, Dany Nounkeu, Sally Edgar, Itandje and Stephane Mbia. The head of the delegation, Adoum Garoua, Sports and Physical Education Minister, and the chairman of the FECAFOOT Normalisation Committee, Joseph Owona, were also part of the delegation that touched down at the Yaounde Nsimalen International Airport with the players.

Head coach, German-born Volker Finke failed to return with the official delegation. The players and the delegation were under heavy security for fear that citizens who gathered around the airport were going to attack them. As soon as security forces led the convoy into town, members of the delegation and the players quickly dispersed and went home to their respective families.

Cameroonians await a press conference which the Normalisation Committee chairman, Joseph Owona, is expected to hold in Yaounde to shed light on the poor performance of the national team in Brazil. Eto’o is also expected to fulfil his promise to reveal the names of the individuals he believes are responsible for the poor status of the country’s football.

A few hours after the arrival of the team, football fans attacked Lions’ midfielder, Stephane Mbia at Avenue Kennedy in Yaounde, at about 2 p.m. Mbia was driving past Avenue Kennedy less than 24 hours after the return of the Lions from Brazil. Unfortunately, for him, when he rolled down the window of his black Rav 4, some youths who were going about their daily businesses identified him.

While some of them immediately jumped on his car; others tried to pull him out of the car, and as more irate youths got to the scene, traffic came to a standstill. Two police officers tried in vain to rescue Mbia. The national team player managed to hide his watch and his cap in his car to prevent them from being pulled off.

Some of the youths who sympathised with him struggled and succeeded in taking the football star to a dark corner along the Avenue Kennedy’s commercial centre. Many more youths stormed the venue when they learned about the incident, but before they could make it there, three military officers had had everything under control.

They blocked traffic and escorted Mbia to an unknown destination. A few minutes later, a contingent of police officers from the special operations unit, GSO got to the scene when Mbia had already left. The youths left bruises on Mbia’s face, and tore his clothes. They equally caused some damage to his car.

Benjamin Moukanjo was also blocked as he tried driving through the Avenue by some irate youths, some hours later. He, however, managed to leave the scene unharmed. It should be recalled that this is the same street on which Alex Song was beaten up and robbed when he tried to confront some youths who threw slangs at him. Kennedy Avenue harbours one of the biggest shopping malls in Yaounde with exotic sports wears among other commodities.